Culture No. 39: The Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute

My very first job after college was working as an assistant construction administrator for the Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. (Don’t quote me on that title, but it's basically what I did. ;) The job was fun, but by far my favorite part was all the life-long friends I met, both at the museum and in the greater Berkshires.

Awww...Baby Architect Sarah! If I wasn't such a giant, you'd be able to see Tadao Ando standing right behind me!

I didn’t realize how much I missed working at a museum until a few weeks ago when Cousin Emily and I walked through the National Gallery and I found myself waylaid by a couple of Winslow Homer’s. The Clark’s Homers were always some of my favorites and when I saw his signature style, it instantly took me back. I haven’t been to the Clark in years, but when one of my nearest and dearest sent me a link to their latest exhibition that she worked tirelessly on - Great job, T.! :D - I knew I had to share.

Because the Clark is in the middle of an extensive renovation project – I was involved in Phase 1, but they must be in Phase 2 or 3 by now – and gallery space will be severely restricted until construction is over, the museum sent a large portion of its permanent collection on the road for a few years. In the meantime, they’ve created an on- and off-line exhibition called Clark Remix. Two online applications – uExplore and uCurate – allow you to explore parts of the permanent collection that remain at the museum and create your own three-dimensional exhibition around your favorite works. (Including one of my Homers!) The best part? While you can save your exhibition and share it with others – check out my feeble attempt here ;) – the curators will actually pick some of their favorites and install them in the physical museum. How cool is that?

The apps are pretty advanced and let you choose between paintings, sculpture, glass, silver, and ceramics and whether you want to display the pieces on the wall, on a pedestal, or in a wall case. You can even paint the walls! My favorite part was learning more about the Clark’s silver and ceramic collections. I can't lie: I never thought twice about those collections while I worked there, but they’re actually pretty interesting once you give them a chance. Robert Sharp’s honey pot and stand was my favorite – so much classier than my plastic honey bear jar. :)

Check it out and come back to share your exhibits. I’d love to find out which Clark pieces are your favorites!

PS Don't believe me? Listen to the New York Times then. ;)